Accidents & Incidents, [2015Q2]

The following table presents a chronology for the second quarter of 2015, showing all known ‘fatal’ U.S. civil aviation accidents, as well as a few selected non-fatal accidents and incidents. Data shows date (weekends are underlined), location, number of fatalities, and a brief synopsis. Click on the blue dates to see additional info; click on red dates to see an aiREFORM Post/Analysis about the incident. For all accidents, further records are quickly found by searching for the accident date within NTSB’s Monthly Aviation Accident Database. Those accidents within the most recent two weeks may not be listed yet at NTSB; they are listed from news reports and from the quickly updated databases at Aviation-Safety Network. The following color-codes are added to aid in tracking accident trends. Midair includes NMAC’s. EMS/Commercial/Ag includes flights in-service or related to that flight function. The last color-code includes non-fully-certified aircraft such as experimental, owner-built, ultralights, paragliders, etc.: MIDAIRATCEMSFATIGUECOMMERCIALAGWXkit-exp.-(etc.)

Fatal Accidents:

Fatalities:

Year:

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

2012

80

125

2013

52

63

62

50

97

98

106

90

2014

33

76

87

52

58

115

134

76

2015

44

54

..

..

65

92

..

..

totals updated 7/4/2015

Date

LOCATION

FATALS

Time, Details & Links

6/30/2015

Salt Lake City, UT

0

(~0746) A Beech Airliner taking off on a cargo run as AMF1802 to Ely, NV loses power and lands gear up adjacent to the runway at Salt Lake City [KSLC]. The two occupants were reportedly not injured. [A-S.N]

(~1450) A pilot and mechanic are hovering in a Coast Guard helicopter when something happens that causes a hard landing, and the helicopter to flip onto its side. Winds were predominantly out of the west at 20 knots with gusts in the upper 20s, a typical afternoon pattern at KSFO. The helicopter came to rest pointing roughly southeast, suggesting a tail rotor loss that could force an uncontrolled hard landing.[article]

(~1745) A Beech A36 based in Cleveland, TN is on the second leg of a trip through Lancaster, PA to Norwood, MA [KOWD], 13-miles SW of Boston. The pilot advises ATC of an engine problem, then crashes into the roof of a two story colonial home. The home erupts in flames while the occupants, a family with two children, escape uninjured. The couple and child on the aircraft all perish. [article]

6/28/2015

Corona, CA

1

(~1214) A homebuilt experimental aircraft impacts a tree-like cellular tower 1-mile SW of Lake Matthews, southeast of the Corona Airport [KAJO]. The aircraft becomes lodged in the tower structure, and the male occupant dies. The female occupant, thrown from the aircraft, is hospitalized. [article]

6/27/2015

Galveston, TX

0

(~1500) A Piper Pawnee towing an advertising banner loses power near the Galveston Airport [KGLS]. The pilot releases the banner then makes a forced landing into a field. Photos show one prop tip bent back, suggesting the prop was not spinning when the aircraft landed. [article]

(~1400) A Pitts S-2B Special is finishing an airshow performance but fails to come out of a final maneuver. The pilot dies when he crashes into a forested area. [article]

6/27/2015

Cypress, TX

1

(~1100) Witnesses report hearing a weight-shift trike lose power, right after taking off, and right before it crashes into trees near the Dan Jones International Airport [T51]. The 52-yr-old male pilot was killed. [article]

6/26/2015

Sebring, OH

1

(~1830) A 72-yr-old man takes off from the Tri-City Airport [3G6] in a Europa he had built, but is killed when he crashes into a nearby field. [article]

6/25/2015

NE of Ketchikan, AK

9

(~before 1400) A De Havilland Turbine Otter, operated by Promech Air, crashes into a granite cliff above Ella Lake, while conducting an aerial tour of the Misty Fjords area. The flight was operating in conjunction with a Holland America Line cruise ship, out of Seattle, and was carrying eight of the cruise ship passengers for a shore excursion. Predominant weather at Ketchikan [PAKT] was light rain, mist, and ceilings between 1,200-feet and 2,500-feet. [article]

(~0803) A 55-yr-old political science professor from CU Boulder spends 25-years building a plane from scratch, but the ‘Pietenpol Air Camper’ loses power on its first flight. He makes a forced landing in a corn field near Vance Brand Airport [KLMO] and the aircraft flips over. [article]

6/22/2015

Ventucopa, CA

1

(~0930) A Short S312 Tucano (single-prop trainer) crashes on rangeland starting a 1-acre range fire and killing the pilot. The pilot’s identity was initially withheld, but he was later confirmed to be James Horner, a 61-yr-old who had won an Oscar composing the soundtrack for the movie ‘Titanic’. [article]

6/21/2015

Pender County, NC

1

(~1530) A Czech Sport PiperSport crashes into wooded terrain, shortly after takeoff. The 89-yr-old male pilot was the only occupant, and was reportedly flying from Topsail Airpark to Albert Ellis Airport [KOAJ], 21-miles away. [article]

6/21/2015

Canandaigua, NY

0

(~1405) A United Express Dash 8, heading from Newark [KEWR] to Rochester [KROC] makes an emergency diversion after smoke is detected onboard. News reports indicate the same aircraft had a similar emergency diversion in recent weeks, on a flight from Newark to a Connecticut airport. [article]

(~0830) A Bell 47 helicopter operated by Gomes Farm Air Service crashes during a spray mission, west of Salinas. The 67-yr-old male pilot, who had walked away from a 2010 accident, was killed. KSNS METAR shows that an overcast layer at 600-ft was forming at the airport. [article]

6/18/2015

Shreveport, LA

1

(~1730) A Cessna Skyhawk operated by a local flying club crashes 700-yards from the runway, at the Shreveport Downtown Airport [KDTN], killing the lone occupant, a male pilot approximate age 50-60. [article]

(~1245) A Grumman AA5 reportedly lost power while on approach to Gillespie County Airport [T82]. A 57-yr-old male was killed in the crash, the other occupant was hospitalized. [article]

6/14/2015

Van Horn, TX

0

(~1030) A Weatherly ag plane crashes into a pecan orchard while doing a spray application. The pilot is hospitalized with injuries. [article]

6/14/2015

Cuba, MO

1

(~0745) A 54-yr-old owner of a tree service is flying his Piper Cherokee Six when he hits severe turbulence. He is able to text his family that his aircraft is breaking up, minutes before crashing north of the Cuba airport. He and the dog that always accompanied his flights are both killed. METAR weather observations reported 16-miles west, at Rolla, had heavy rain and 3/4-mile visibility briefly passing through at 7:10am. [article]

6/12/2015

Foster, NE

0

(~0915) A 27-yr-old male pilot is injured when his Grumman Ag Cat loses power during a spray application, and a forced landing in a fields ends up inverted. [article]

6/12/2015

Texas County, MO

4

(~0645) Family and friends are waving goodbye when a pilot crashes his Beech Bonanza while taking off from a grass strip. Onboard are his wife and three of their children, for a flight to return to their home in Provo, Utah. Both parents, age 43, and two children, ages 15 and 12, are killed. The lone survivor, a 5-yr-old, is hospitalized. [article]

6/10/2015

Everett, WA

1

(~0900) A Beech Bonanza takes off from Paine Field [KPAE] and crashes into a wooded area to the south. An 80-yr-old male dies and the other male occupant is hospitalized. [article]

6/8/2015

St Petersburg, FL

0

(~1652) The crew of an Allegiant Airlines MD83 reports cabin smoke and returns to the St Petersburg – Clearwater International Airport [KPIE] for an emergency landing and runway evacuation. Four went to a local hospital with minor injuries. [article]

6/8/2015

Kadoka, SD

1

(~1618) A Bellanca Citabria takes off for an alfalfa spray mission and impacts a light pole, then crashes near a sport field fence. The pilot, a 49-yr-old male retired police officer, is killed. [article]

6/5/2015

Eagle, CO

1

(~1650) An experimental Murphy Rebel has a bounced landing at the Eagle Airport [KEGE], then impacts a hangar to the south of the runway. One occupant is killed, and the other is seriously injured. [article]

6/5/2015

McCarthy, AK

1

(~1100) A Piper Super Cub PA18 is at a landing strip in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. The pilot gets out to handle some bags, and inadvertently walks into the spinning prop. His student calls in the accident. The pilot was a 62-yr-old retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel who operated a flight school. [article]

(~1500) An Air Tractor loses power shortly after taking off on a fertilizer application run. It crashes and ends up inverted in a crawfish pond. The pilot was able to walk away. [article]

6/3/2015

Lamy, NM

1

(~unknown) A Schleicher glider is reported missing after a departure on 6/3. A search commences at 6am and the wreckage and deceased 72-yr-pld male pilot are found at 3pm. [article]

6/2/2015

Oshkosh, WI

2

(~1520) An experimental Sonex Sport Acro crashes into a row of while landing trucks manufactured at the Oshkosh factory, east of the airport [KOSH], killing both occupants. One was the son of the Sonex CEO; the other was an assembly mechanic for Sonex. Weather at the time of the accident was clear with southeast winds gusting to 20 mph. [article1]-[article2]

6/2/2015

Blythe, CA

1

(~1045) An Ayres Thrush ag-plane crashes while doing an application over an alfalfa field, killing the pilot. [article]

6/2/2015

Siler City, NC

1

(~0800) A 72-yr-old pilot and his 69-yr-old wife fly their Beech Bonanza and make two approach attempts to the airport in Siler City [KSCR]. They crash in a forested area near the airport. He is hospitalized, and she is killed. A 200-ft broken ceiling was reported at 7:55am. [article]

6/1/2015

Livermore, CA

1

(~2055) A Piper Tri-Pacer reports problems shortly after taking off from the Livermore Airport [KLVK], then crashes and catches fire in hills to the northeast of the airport. The lone occupant, a 75-yr-old male retired commercial pilot, was killed. [article]

(~1715) A Cessna C185 operated by Talkeetna Air Taxi and a Cessna C172 operated by a flight school collide roughly 100-feet above the surface while preparing to land at the uncontrolled Talkeetna airport [PATK]. The conjoined wreckage impacts the runway. The C185 was carrying four passengers. One person, the 27-yr-old C172 pilot, was hospitalized. [article]

5/31/2015

Archer City, KS

0

(~morning) An Air Tractor clips powerlines then crashes to the ground while doing an aerial application. The pilot crawls to a nearby road and is hospitalized with serious injuries. [article]

5/30/2015

SE of Bethel, AK

1

(~late morning) A post-maintenance flight of a Cessna 207 is intended to last 3.5 hours, with a return to Bethel. The aircraft becomes overdue. A search is initiated and the crash is located in the Kwethluk River. The aircraft was part of the fleet for commercial operator Yute Air. [article]

(~2105) A local couple in their mid-forties attends the high school graduation of their 18-yr-old daughter. After the ceremony, they take off from the Hale County Airport [KPVW] in a Beech Bonanza, reportedly to go to the San Antonio area for a wedding. Strong wind gusts were arriving at the airport at around the time of takeoff. All three died when the aircraft crashed 100-yards southeast of the midfield section of Runway 4. [article]

(~1145) A 55-yr-old pilot contractor is flying a Bell 206 helicopter at low altitudes, carrying a 27-yr-old passenger to conduct an aerial survey of a powerline. The helicopter suddenly ends up crashed in the tops of large trees, at the end of a residential block. It is firmly lodged more than forty feet above the ground, and the reportedly uninjured men are rescued with a bucket truck from a local power company. [article]

(~1650) A 57-yr-old pilot takes his young son for a flight in his Cessna Skymaster, at the Melbourne International Airport [KMLB]. While taxiing to the runway, and after a series of miscommunications, the contract air traffic controller tells the pilot to shut down his engines. The pilot crashes into an antenna building. Airport police claim his breath smells like alcohol. He is arrested and jailed on charges including reckless endangerment of his child. He gets out on bail the next morning and awaits arraignment. [article]

(~2046) Loss of power over South China Sea: Singapore Airlines Flight #836, from Singapore to Shanghai, lost power to both engines while cruising at FL390. The crews proceeded through their checklist and were able to restore power after losing one-third of their altitude, descending to FL260. There were 194 people on board, and the aircraft, an Airbus 330, was nearly brand new, having been delivered on 4/1/2015. [article]

5/23/2015

Columbia, SC

1

(~0915) An 85-yr-old male dies when his kitbuilt Turbine Legend crashes while trying to return to the airport. He took off from [KCAE], then reported an issue and began to return, but ended up crashed in a pond. [article]

5/21/2015

Dublin, CA

1

(~morning) A Cessna Centurion departs Concord Buchanan Field [KCCR] Thursday morning for Reid-Hillview Airport [KRHV] in San Jose. The flight is reported missing by evening, and it is found the next morning, crashed 2-miles south of I-580 in a hilly ranchland area near Palomares. The crash had started a grass fire which burnt out quickly in rain and misty conditions. The lone occupant, a 66-yr-old male, was killed. [article]

5/21/2015

Hazard, KY

1

(~1830) Three boys report seeing a plane trailing smoke and spinning, then crashing into a wooded embankment. Rescue crews find a Grumman AA5 Cheetah, which likely had just taken off from an airport one mile away [KCPF]. The pilot did not survive the crash. [article]

5/18/2015

Smyth County, VA

2

(~1235) A couple from Mansfield, OH is on a return flight from Florida when their Beech Baron disappears over western Virginia. FlightAware shows that the flight was being worked by ATC at [KTRI], and had cruised at 7,000-ft, then tested 6,000-ft, 8,000-ft, and finally 9,000-ft just before the disappearance. KTRI METAR at 11:53AM showed temp 74 dew 64 wind SSE 5 visibility 10 clouds FEW080 SCT100 BKN120 OVC130. Rescue crews found a disintegrated and burned crash site in rocky, mountainous terrain. [article]

5/17/2015

Bullhead City, AZ

1

(~1755) A Rockwell Commander impacts terrain southwest of Laughlin, near [KIFP]. A brush fire is started. One occupant is killed, and three others injured, two with burns. [article]

(~1230) A 51-yr-old father is recently certified as a new pilot and takes off from the Kestrel AIr Park, north of San Antonio. Onboard the Piper Comanche are his wife and two youngest children. All four are killed in a crash and fire after the aircraft impacts terrain adjacent to a nearby farm store. [article]

5/16/2015

Angel Fire, NM

1

(~0830) An unregistered ultralight, reported by FAA to be a ‘powered parachute’, crashes in a field, killing the 46-yr-old pilot. He had reportedly just called a friend to advise his location and intention to takeoff and return to the nearby airport [KAXX]. He was an Austin, TX police officer and is survived by a wife and two children. [article]

5/14/2015

Tullahoma, TN

0

(~1920) Two biplanes collide while landing on the runway at the Tullahoma Regional Airport [KTHA] causing injuries, but no fatalities. A Pits Special landed on top of the rear half of a kitbuilt Starduster. [article]

(~1035) A prominent rancher flies his 1979 Bellanca to help a crew of cowboys herd cattle on his ranch. In the process, he impacts a transmission line and the Bellanca crashes to the ground inverted. One of the 51-yr-old rancher’s brothers is an Oregon state representative; another brother is a former county sheriff. At least one news article comments that use of small planes to herd cattle is a common practice in the area. [article]

(~1001) A Piper Cherokee takes off from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport [KPDK] for Oxford, MS, but the pilot almost immediately reports they are going down. Numerous vehicles avoid collision as the flight aligns for an emergency landing on I-285, a wide freeway with five lanes in each direction. The flight erupts in flames upon impact, killing all four on board. [article]

5/7/2015

Spokane, WA

2

(~1600) A sales consultant for Rocket Engineering and the owner of the Flying R Ranch Airport in Cheney are on a test flight in a modified (experimental) Piper Malibu when witnesses hear the engine sputter. The pilots try to return to land at Felts Field [KSFF], but crash onto the Spokane River and soon sink. Emergency respondents pull the men from the water a half hour later, but they both die reportedly of chest injuries from the impact. [article]

5/7/2015

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

(~1550) Parachuting Accident: A 33-yr-old female parachute ‘instructor’ from Lompoc, CA was one of two who died when a Cessna 180 crashed in the bay off of Puerto Vallarta. Three of the five on board were rescued. [article]

(~1405) An Enstrom F28 helicopter being used for flight instruction crashes into a forested area. Both the instructor and student pilot are hospitalized with injuries, but they are able to report the accident back to their company to initiate an emergency response. [article]

5/5/2015

Arcadia Parish, LA

1

(~1240) An Air Tractor doing a fertilizer application strikes nearby trees, and the 32-yr-old pilot is killed. [article]

(~1138) A 55-yr-old local business owner is killed when his Cessna veers off the runway and collides with an airport fence. He was a local flying club member with a student pilot license, and reportedly had been practicing takeoffs and landings. [article]

5/1/2015

Saratoga Springs, UT

1

(~1800) A 59-yr-old man was fatally injured when he crashed his paraglider into Utah Lake, near Pelican Bay Marina. [article]

4/30/2015

Trinidad, CO

1

(~1300) A kitbuilt Zenith STOL CH 701 impacts a field near the Las Animas County Fairgrounds, killing the pilot. [article]

4/28/2015

Philadelphia, PA

0

(~1600) A Republic Airlines de Havilland Dash 8, flying as a feeder for United/Continental, reports an engine fire while en route from Raleigh/Durham, NC [KRDU] to Newark, NJ [KEWR]. The crew makes an emergency landing at Philadelphia [KPHL] and the aircraft is evacuated on the runway, with no injuries reported. [article]

4/27/2015

Austin, TX

1

(~2150) A Eurocopter EC145 operated by the Travis County StarFlight EMS program flies to a greenbelt area to help search for a hiker reportedly injured in a fall. An aerial rescue is then made, using a hoist. The crewmember operating the hoist stands on the skids, while another rescue crewmember accompanies the victim during the lift. The hoist-operator falls to her death. [article]

4/25/2015

Richmond, VA

0

(~1159) An Air Wisconsin flight, flying as a feeder for American/USAirways, is taxiing at the Richmond airport [KRIC] shortly after landing on a flight from Charlotte [KCLT]. Smoke is observed in the cabin, ATC is advised, and the Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200ER is evacuated on the taxiway. Investigation finds the smoke came from a lithium-ion battery in a passenger’s carry-on bag. [article]

(~1700) A Piper Cherokee takes off from the Creswell Hobby Field Airport [77S], south of Eugene, on a flight to Pearson Airport in Vancouver, WA [KVUO]. The aircraft disappears. News reports announce that, while authorities are searching, they also know that the pilot does not have a valid pilot license. The burned wreckage and body are found by search team members at 1:00PM, nearly three days after the accident, in a wooded mountain area east of Harrisburg. [article]

4/18/2015

Millville, CA

1

(~0834) A woman and her husband report hearing a loud explosion and finding debris scattered around their yard. It is soon determined that the mangled debris was a Cessna 206 that had crashed, roughly 20-miles east of Redding. [article]

(~1615) A Piper Super Cub pulls a banner over the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. The pilot makes a forced landing on a golf course, due to a mechanical failure. The aircraft becomes inverted due to a soft landing surface. [article]

4/16/2015

Van Nuys, CA

0

(~afternoon) While repositioning on the ground, an Aero Commander 685 collides with a parked Eurocopter AS350. [article]

4/15/2015

Hilo, HI

0

(~1350) Two people are critically injured when a Cessna Skyhawk crashes during takeoff from Runway 21 at [PHKO]. The pilot was carrying a couple in a possible sightseeing flight, as the aircraft is registered with the Iolani Air Tour Company. [article]

4/14/2015

Prince William Sound, AK

1

(~1323) A 53-yr-old male pilot departs on an IFR flight from Wasilla [PAWS] to Valdez in a Cessna 180 Skywagon. He reports engine problems an hour later, then disappears. Wreckage is located the next day, off of Perry Island. [article]

4/13/2015

Lebec, CA

1

(~??) A Pitts Special is reported missing at 7PM, then found by a ranch hand the next day. [article]

4/13/2015

Shelter Island, NY

0

(~1800) A Cessna Skycatcher takes off from Klenawicus Field, then crashes into adjacent trees. The 80-yr-old male pilot is hospitalized. [article]

(~0531) UAL1545, a Boeing 737 flying a red-eye flight from Las Vegas [KLAS] lands on Runway 8R during reported heavy weather. It exits on a highspeed taxiway, but ends up with all wheels mired deep in muddy grass at [KIAH]. A copy of the weather sequence is posted at [A-S.net]-[forum]

4/12/2015

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

4

(~1630) A Piper Navajo takes off on an IFR flight from Orlando [KORL] and is preparing to land at [KFXE]. Ground witnesses see the plane bank sharply and dive into a nature refuge, where it erupts in flames. [article]

4/11/2015

Coyote Springs, AZ

1

(~1530) A soaring club member is killed when he crashes shortly after takeoff. Reports are that the glider was towed airborne by a ground vehicle, and control was lost shortly after release of the tow rope. [article]

4/11/2015

Chippewa Falls, WI

1

(~1132) A 77-yr-old pilot was killed when his Quad City Challenger ultralight crashed near the Chippewa County Senior Squadron Airport. [article]

4/10/2015

Challis, ID

4

(~1300) A Cessna Turbo Centurion impacts terrain shortly after taking off from Upper Loon Creek USFS Airport [U72]. The pilot, from Park City, UT, was reportedly flying the group to his ranch to assess the site for a possible solar or wind power installation. [article]

(~12:08AM) A group of six men, ranging from age 36 to 62, fly from Bloomington, IL [KBMI] in the mid-afternoon, to attend the NCAA basketball championship game in Indianapolis. They are flown in a Cessna 414 Conquest owned by one of the men, and with a 51-yr-old professional pilot. After the game, they takeoff from Indianapolis [KIND] shortly after midnight. While setting up for an instrument approach to Runway 20 at KBMI, the aircraft loses airspeed, veers left, and crashes into the ground, killing all seven. Weather had been deteriorating and was reported right at minimums at the time of the crash (3/4-mile visibility in light rain and mist, ceiling 200-feet overcast). [article]

4/6/2015

Cherokee, AL

1

(~1:00PM) A fisherman in northern Alabama, near the Natchez Trace Parkway bridge, sees a helicopter suddenly crash into the barge channel of the Tennessee River. Emergency responders find some small debris, but have to stop their search at nightfall. The search is resumed the next morning and the helicopter is located, but the pilot remains missing. A helicopter contractor, Haverfield (based in Gettysburg, PA), reported one of their company pilots was missing, and would have been passing through the area while repositioning a Hughes 369 helicopter from Corinth, MS to Scottsboro, AL, a route which would follow the Tennessee River. [article]

UPDATE, 4/16/2015: — the body of the 54-yr-old pilot was found. He was a veteran, based in Denton, TX. [article]

(~4:15PM) An American Eagle Canadair Regional Jet taxiing for takeoff to Chicago O’Hare turns too soon and the left main gear becomes stuck in muddy grass. Both runways are blocked, forcing a lengthy airport closure. [article]

(~12:30PM) The wing of a Quicksilver MXL Sport ultralight reportedly folds, during a flight just southeast of the Petaluma Municipal Airport [O69]. The aircraft then spins to a crash, killing the lone occupant. [article]

4/2/2015

Batesville, AR

1

(~9:30AM) A Cessna 152 starts a morning flight from Carlisle to Salem, but turns around en route due to weather. He possibly attempted to land at Batesville Regional Airport [KBVX]. A 911-call is made around 9:30AM by a resident who reported hearing an engine rev up, followed by a popping sound. An initial search fails due to weather, but another pilot locates the crashed aircraft and deceased pilot on Friday evening, approximately 36-hours after the crash. [article]

(~11:00AM) A Bede BD-22 kitbuilt plane crashes into a backyard while attempting a return to the St Lucie County International Airport [KFPR]. The 67-yr-old male pilot was killed, and one witness reported flames 50-100 feet high. [article]

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